POV: Lewis | Location: New York
Pippa arrived seven minutes late.
Lewis had been in the coffee shop for twenty-three, nursing an espresso he didn't taste, rehearsing everything he needed to say and knowing none of it would come out right.
She walked in, saw him, and her expression said clearly: I'm only here because I have no choice.
She sat. Didn't take off her coat. Ordered nothing.
"Thirty minutes," she said. "Start talking."
Lewis set his cup down.
"I need to know she's safe."
"She's fine."
"She's pregnant and alone in—"
"She's not alone." Pippa's voice was quiet. Hard. "She has people. She built herself a life. That's what happens when you stop making yourself small for someone who doesn't see you."
The words landed like a fist.
"I know I failed her."
"Do you? Because fai
